Gallerie Nvya will present “What the Light Remembers”, a solo exhibition of recent works by artist Riddhi Shah, at its Saket gallery in New Delhi from 12 September to 31 October 2026. Following a preview on 11 September, the exhibition brings together a new body of work that examines memory through the visual relationship between architectural jaali patterns and the structures found in nature. The exhibition will be open to the public daily from 11 AM to 7 PM.
Memory as a Living Structure
In this series, Shah works with gouache, watercolour, gold pigment and walnut stain on Sanganeri and acid-free paper. Rather than treating memory as a stable record of the past, the artist approaches it as something fluid, fragmented and continually reshaped over time. Through carefully layered compositions, she investigates how recollections shift, fade and re-emerge in response to changing perspectives.
According to the exhibition text, the geometric precision of the jaali serves as both a visual framework and a conceptual device. Traditionally used in architecture across the Indian subcontinent as screens and windows, jaalis become a means of exploring how memory simultaneously reveals and conceals experience.
Dialogue Between Nature and Architecture
Several works in the exhibition, including Champa Outside My Window, Nilgiri and Krishna Kamal, place botanical imagery alongside hand-cut jaali patterns. Sections of paper are removed from the surface, allowing light, shadow and negative space to become active elements within the composition.
This interaction between presence and absence creates works that change according to viewing conditions, echoing the way memories remain incomplete and subject to reinterpretation.
Highlights of the Exhibition
- New works created using gouache, watercolour, gold pigment and walnut stain
- Hand-cut paper interventions inspired by architectural jaalis
- Botanical studies linked to memory and perception
- References to Sanganeri wasli and Mughal miniature traditions
- Exploration of pattern, freedom and inherited structures
Revisiting Traditional Techniques
A significant aspect of the exhibition is Shah’s use of Sanganeri wasli, a layered paper historically associated with Indian painting traditions. Gouache provides density and precision, while watercolour introduces translucency. Walnut stain contributes unpredictable marks and tonal variations that evoke weathering and age.
Gold pigment recalls the illuminated surfaces of Mughal miniature painting, particularly the decorative botanical motifs that often extended beyond pictorial boundaries. Shah adapts these historical references within a contemporary framework, creating works that connect traditional craft processes with present-day concerns.
Examining Pattern and Freedom
Running throughout the exhibition is an inquiry into the relationship between structure and freedom. Shah draws parallels between natural systems such as branching formations, radial symmetry and phyllotaxis, and the inherited habits, histories and social frameworks that shape human life.
Rather than presenting freedom as the absence of constraints, the exhibition asks whether opportunities for change emerge from within existing structures. This question forms a recurring thread across the works on display.
About the Artist
Born in 1987, Riddhi Shah completed her B.V.A. and M.V.A. in Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda, where she continues to live and work. She has received the Nasreen Mohamedi Award and the Kalpana Reddy Award for Photography, and was awarded a Ministry of Culture scholarship between 2013 and 2015. Her work has been shown at India Art Fair, Art Dubai, Art Singapore, Bikaner House and several other institutions and art events in India and abroad.
Gallerie Nvya’s Continuing Programme
Founded in 2004, Gallerie Nvya has developed a programme focused on both established and emerging artists. Operating from multiple spaces in New Delhi and beyond, the gallery has expanded its activities through exhibitions, publications, art fairs and advisory initiatives. Under the leadership of Executive Director Meher Kalra, the gallery continues to support contemporary artistic practices and new curatorial approaches.
Visitor Information
| Event | Details |
| Title | What the Light Remembers |
| Artist | Riddhi Shah |
| Venue | Gallerie Nvya, 101–103, Square One Designer Arcade, C-2, District Centre, Saket, New Delhi – 110017 |
| City | New Delhi |
| Opening Preview | 11 September 2026, 6 PM – 8 PM |
| Exhibition Dates | 12 September – 31 October 2026 |
| Organiser | Gallerie Nvya |
| Entry / Tickets | Open to the public |
| Gallery Timings | 11 AM – 7 PM |
| Website | https://www.gallerienvya.com |
Takeaway
Through a careful interplay of paper, light, botanical imagery and architectural motifs, What the Light Remembersexamines how memory is formed, altered and preserved. By drawing on historical artistic traditions while engaging contemporary questions about perception and identity, the exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between personal experience, cultural inheritance and the natural world.
